


Bandits and Raptors: Prologue

by TheRealNeal99



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Empire, TIE Fighter (Star Wars), X-Wing Fighter (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:33:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealNeal99/pseuds/TheRealNeal99
Summary: Following the Battle of Yavin, pilots on both sides of the conflict deal with the new change of power in the galaxy, confronting their own emotions and the future ahead.
Kudos: 1





	Bandits and Raptors: Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue to my series of stories I'm writing based around the Rebel Alliance's Bandit Squadron and the Galactic Empire's Raptor Squadron. I'll be diverging from Canon in some parts and drawing some inspiration and information from Legends when appropriate, so if you're confused just ask! I haven't written much in a longtime, so feedback is much appreciated!

0 BBY: Battle of Yavin

And just like that, it was over. 

Varis Pavaht had been watching the battle on a holoscreen in the main hangar with a dozen other pilots, their fighters in a state of disrepair either from usage or cannibalizing them to get the X- and Y-Wings of Red and Gold Squadrons in optimal condition for what was, by all accounts, a suicide mission. And until the last moments, it seemed as though all had failed. But then that freighter reappeared, the torpedo was launched, and then.... _boom_. The Death Star was gone. And Varis was without two of his best friends. Pops and Dutch were both in their Y-Wings, flying as Gold Leader and Gold Five, and neither of them would be coming back. 

The celebration started, but all Varis could do was stare at the crossed out Y-Wings on the roster. He should've been up there flying escort with Red Squadron, but instead he'd been forced to watch helplessly as they were gunned down by that damned TIE, the one like Varis had never seen before. He felt empty, as though his soul was what was destroyed rather than the Death Star. 

Varis sunk his head into his hands as he sat down on a munitions crate, oblivious to the sounds of cheers as Red Five and the _Falcon_ landed. A strong, firm hand placed itself on Varis' shoulder. Looking up, Varis saw a thickly-build Iktotchi wearing a forest green flight suit standing there, a look of grief on his weathered face. 

"I'm sorry Varis. I know it's not easy." Varis took a deep breath, straightening his back to look at the newcomer. 

"It's not, Deidris. There were good men on that mission, and they're gone." Deidris, the Iktotchi, gripped Varis' shoulder with a sense of reassurance. 

"They are. But they died for a cause, one we all believe in and have prepared to sacrifice for. Their time has come, and we must honor their sacrifice. They saved everyone, Varis. Now come on, let's get a drink." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

And just like that, it was over.

Aboard the ISD _Peacemaker_ , Senior Lieutenant Hallam Fen had been keeping tabs on the battle near Yavin 4 as they hurtled through hyperspace towards the Jabiim System. As second-in-command of Warblade Squadron, Lieutenant Fen had been privy to the secret weapon's progress along with his squadron leader, Kyonen Amarath, his commanding officer, Commodore Solrac Montresor, captain of the _Peacemaker_ , and a select few other Imperial officers aboard the destroyer. Together, they - and similar groups of officers around the Empire - would witness the final shattering of the Rebel Alliance, the group that had pained Fen's life for so many years and taken so much from him. Fen eagerly awaited the footage of the base's destruction, paying no heed to the insignificant snub fighters that buzzed near the surface like so many flies. He was sure their foolhardy mission would never succeed. 

Until it did. 

One moment the Death Star was looming over the planet, the firing sequence charging, much to the palpable excitement of those in the meeting room. Even though they were officially on duty, observing a historical event, Gunnery Chief Keinlan had broken out a bottle of Alderaanian wine as the ironic drink of the night. The next moment, the feed was cut, all communications with the battle station a buzz of empty static. The room was quieter than the silence of the void. 

Fen was stunned. Despite Imperial protocols regarding the reassignment of personnel to classified posts, Fen had known his friend Erin Kallig -Sigma Two - had been assigned to the Death Star. They had graduated the Academy together, years ago, and he was eager to recount the story with her over a drink. But now that would never happen. In a flash, tens of thousands of loyal Imperials, good men and women, were killed. All because of the damned Rebels. Looking around the room, the expressions were a mix of stunned, saddened, confused, and enraged. 

Without even waiting for an official dismissal, Hallam Fen stood up and left the room. Tears stung in the corner of his eyes as he made his way to the hangar. A few confused looks passed his way as he left the room, the events of Yavin unknown to the vast majority of the ship. Fen found his interceptor, popped the hatch, and crawled into the cockpit. Only after he had sealed the cockpit, still dressed in his official black dress uniform, did he allow himself the permission to cry. 

They would pay. They would all pay. 

And he would do whatever it took to make them.


End file.
